Heretofore, there has been known an ultrasound diagnostic device, which has an oscillating probe (probe) including a large number of transducers by arraying the same one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, selects a plurality of the transducers consecutively arranged among the large number of transducers, performs transmission/reception for an ultrasound wave, which is generated by beam forming, for a test subject such as a living body by the selected transducers, performs scanning (linear scanning) for a predetermined range thereof by repeating the transmission/reception of the ultrasound wave while shifting the transducers to be selected, and creates an ultrasound image, which is in accordance with the B mode and for each frame, based on data obtained as a result of this scanning.
Here, as shown in FIG. 26, a minimum value of an interval q between targets (focus points) T to be specified by ultrasound beams created by the beam forming is equal to an arrangement interval p between transducers 1002a. That is to say, the minimum value (azimuth resolution) of the recognizable interval q between the targets T depends on the arrangement interval p between the transducers 1002a. Therefore, in the ultrasound diagnostic device as mentioned above, the arrangement interval between the transducers just needs to be reduced in order to enhance the azimuth resolution; however, there are physical limitations thereon.
Accordingly, in the conventional ultrasound diagnostic device, there is one configured as follows. After the transmission/reception for the ultrasound wave is performed a predetermined number of times while shifting the transducers to be selected, a transducer array itself is moved by a predetermined distance in an array direction, the transmission/reception for the ultrasound wave is performed a predetermined number of times in a similar way, and such a transmission/reception operation is executed a plurality of times in one frame, then received signals obtained as a result are synthesized with one another, and image data for one frame is created (for example, Patent Literature 1).
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 27, it is also known to change the number of transducers 1002a, which are to be selected for each transmission/reception of the ultrasound wave, alternately to odd numbers/even numbers, and the scanning is performed while shifting the targets T (for example, Non-Patent Literature 1).